Web controlling device for printing presses



July 2, 1935. A. J. CLINE.

WEB CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed March 11, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1935. A. J. CLINE 2,006,628

WEB CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed March 11, 1933 SSheeta-Sheet 2 f/nJizfiQ L? fl/farz aha,

July 2, 1935. A. J. CLINE 2,006,628

WEB CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRBSSES Filed March 11, 1953 s Sheerls-Shee't s YHM /YW ////&22% @7726.

Patented July 2, 1935 UNITED STATES WEB CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR PRINTING 'PRESSES Allan J. Cline, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 11, 1933, Serial No. 660,398

16 Claims.

This invention relates to web supply mechanism for printing presses and has for its principal object the provision of a device for improving the quality of the printing by eliminating what is known as slurring, a difiiculty which has been commonly experienced in the printing of newspapers due to vibration of the web at the point of initial contact with the first pair of cylinders in the press. Vibration at this point tends to cause a slight whip of the web against the plates on the plate cylinder almost at the instant the web enters between the first plate and impression cylinders, causing a double impression, with the impressions perhaps slightlyout of registration or, in any event, causing the lines of the letters, or some of them, to be wider than they should be, making them appear too black, or slightly blurred. This action is referred to by printers, and herein, as slurring.

I am aware that devices have heretofore" been provided having the object of taking up slack in the web between the web roll and the press, these being known as spring rollers and consisting of a spring-pressed roller about which the web passes, the springs thereof being compressed by the pull of the web on the roller when it is taut, and tending to press said roller into the web when the latter slackens. The action of such a device is limited, howeven b'y the range of action of the springs and is not uniform, since obviously the springs exert greater pressure on the roller when they are under considerable compression than when they are more extended. It has been found by experience that such devices do not eliminate slurring under certain conditions, whereas under the same conditions it is eliminated by the device of the present invention.

This device, while in the nature of a floating roller, somewhat similar in appearance to the floating rollers which have heretofore been used for controlling brakes or tension mechanism for retarding rotation of web rolls, has a freedom of action and a responsiveness to varying degrees of tautness in the web which causes it to obtain results which are not possible with a floating roller connected with the tension mechanism, namely the'virtual elimination of slurring through a responsive, but controlled, action which effectively prevents vibration of the Web at the point immediately preceding its entry between the first printing and impression cylindersof the press, and which causes the roller to respond to changes in the degree of tautness of the web without any sudden or uncoordinated action which might tend to unduly strain or break the web.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end elevational view, partially diagrammatic, of an apparatus in which my invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of said apparatus on a larger scale, parts thereof being broken away for convenience in illustration;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the bearings for the shaft upon which the device is supported;

Fig. 4 is an endelevation of said bearing showing the means for adjusting the same; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the dashpot used for dampening the movement of the web-controlling roller hereinafter described.

Upon said drawings I have shown, for'purposes of illustration, a roll support in the form of a reel, indicated generallyby the reference character 6, said reel having three pairs of arms I, each carrying a roll 8, said rolls being adapted to be successively moved into the running postion shown at the right in Fig. l. The web 9 from the active roll is directed over a guide roller 1! and about a second roller 12, thence downwardly around a movable roller l3 to be later more particularly described, said web proceeding upwardly from said roller to a third guide roller Hi, from which it passes into the press (not shown). It will be noted that the web forms a loop between the rollers l2 and i4, and that the roller l3 rests in said loop so that it may be drawn upwardly by the pull of the web, the extent of which is governed by the relation between the pull of the press and the amount of tension applied to the web roll, the latter, however, not being subject to exact control due to varying conditions such as, for example, the form of the web roll which may not be entirely round, with the result that the paper feeds off faster from the low point than from the high point, or ridge, which is found in lopsided rolls.

Roller I 3 is carried in arms l5 which are secured to a shaft l6 supported in bearings I1 and I8, which in turn are supported by angle irons l9 and suspended from I-beams 2i and 22 forming a part of the press frame. One of said bearings, in the present instance the bearing 17, is adjustably mounted, being secured by means of screws 23 to a bar 24, one end of which is hinged to ears 25 and the other end of which is formed to receive a screw 26 extending upwardly through the horizontal portion of the angle iron 19, and carrying at its lower end a hand wheel 21 whereby the operator may rotate said screw to raise or lower the bearing I1. This means for adjustment of the roller makes it possible to change the elevation of one end of the roller IS with respect to the other in order to maintain a uniform relation between the roll and the web even though the diameter of the web roll may be different at one end than at the other.

Depending from the shaft I6 is a rod 28 carrying a series of weights 29, the number of which may be varied to provide more or less effect upon the roller l3 as conditions may require. The normal position of the weight and roller,assembly is the lowermost dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 with the weight on the right hand side of a vertical center line through the shaft "5, in which position the weight serves as a-counterweight preventing the roller l3 from dropping below a certain position. The greater the pull of the web upon the roll l3, the higher said roll is drawn, the uppermost dotted line position indieating one position which the parts may assume under the pull of the web.

The shaft It; carries an arm 3| extending in the opposite direction from the arms l5, said arm being connected by a rod 32 with a piston 33 in a dashpot 34 supported on an angle iron 35 rigidly mounted on the frame structure at one end of the reel. The dashpot has screw-threaded end members 36 and 31 at the opposite ends thereof, the latter being provided with an ear 38 adapted to be hingedly attached to ears 39 on the angle iron 35, the end member 36 having a stuffing box 4| therein and gaskets 4,2 and 43 being positioned between said end members and the ends of the cylinder of the dashpotto render said cylinder oil tight, the oil type of dashpot being perhaps best suited to the purpose of the present device. The piston 33 is provided with an adjustable needle valve 44 adapted to permit the passage of oil in both directions through said piston, the rate of flow, and consequently the speed of movement of the piston, being determined by the adjustment of said valve; A check valve 45 is also provided in said piston, -being located in a passageway 46, and is adapted to open upon the up movement of the piston, which, as will be noted by reference to Fig. 1, occurs upon the down movement of the roller l3. A coil spring 41 is provided in the upper end of the dashpot cylinder and serves as a buffer against which the piston 33 mayact at the extreme upper end of its stroke. A spring 48 is also provided in the lower end of the cylinder, and serves to provide a yielding stop for the piston at the lower end of its stroke, said spring thereby also preventing the roller l3 from suddenly reaching a dead stop at the upper limit of its movement, thus protecting the web against undue strain or breakage. It will be evident that this spring serves to supplement the weight of the roller l3 and the action of the weights 29 as said roller reaches the upper limit of its movement, and it will be understood that it could be placed elsewhere than in the dashpot, as, for ex ample, on the press frame in'position to be engaged by the arms l5 as they approach the upper limit of their movement.

The dashpot hereinabove described serves to dampen the movement of the roller I 3 and to preventany violent action thereof upon the web,

while at the same time allowing it to respond freely to changes in the tautness of the web.

The device of my invention, as above described, has been found to be extremely effective, and for the first time in the art, so far as I am aware, renders it possible, under all ordinary conditions of printing newspapers, to practically eliminate all slurring, thus greatly improving the quality of the printing.

Slurring does not necessarily manifest itself on all pages of newspapers printed without the use of the present device, but its effects are often present on the page printed by the first pair of cylinders in the press. The effect is not always particularly noticeable, since, for considerable periods of time, the web may be held under proper tension, and, furthermore, even when it is allowed to vibrate slightly, it may strike the printing plate.

so nearly at the point on the web where the normal printing impression is made that it has no other effect than to have the lines appear somewhat wider than they should be. At other times, however, the premature contact of the web with the plates results in an appearance as if the web had slipped a little in passing through the cylinders, with the result that the printing appears to be slightly blurred and is not as easy to read as the clean, sharp-cut printing which may be uniformly produced through the use of the device of my invention, which I therefore term a slur eliminator.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a. movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web in advance of the point of entry of the web between the press cylinders, said roller being movable by its weight to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to changes in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, and a dashpot connected with said roller for dampening the movement thereof.

2. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web in advance of the point of entry of the web between the press cylinders, said roller being movable by its weight to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to changes .in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, and a dashpot connected with said roller for dampening the movement thereof, said dashpot being provided with an adjustable by-pass valve for controlling the flow of fluid therein in comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web in advance of the point of entry of the web between the press cylinders, said roller being movable by its weight to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to changes in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, and a dashpot connected with said roller for dampening the movement thereof, said dashpot being provided with a check valve adapted to open upon movement of the roller in one direction to accelerate such movement.

4. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web in advance of the point of entry of the web between the press cylinders, said roller being movable by its weight to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to changes in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, and a dashpot connected with said roller for dampening the movement thereof, said dashpot being provided with an adjustable by-pass valve for controlling the flow of fluid.- therein in both directions, and a check valve adapted to open upon movement of the roller in one direction to accelerate such movement.

5. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web in advance of the point of entry of the web between the press cylinders, said roller being movable by its weight to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to changes in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, and a snubber connected with said roller for dampening the movement thereof.

6. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web in advance of the point of entry of the web between the press cylinders, said roller being-movable by its weight to take up slack in said' web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of at the point of initial contact of the same withthe printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to changes in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, a snubber connected with said roller for dampening the movement thereof, and yielding pressure means augmenting the action of the roller against the web upon increase in the tautness of the latter.

7. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a" movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web in advance of the point of entry of the web between the press cylinders, said roller being movable by its weight to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to variations in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, means for dampening the movement of said roller, and a weight adapted to augment the action of the roller against the web upon increase in the tautness of the latter.

8. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop inthe web and operable to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to variations in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, means for dampening the movement of said roller, and a weight movable with said roller and adapted to augment the action of the roller against the web when on one side of a vertical center line (with respect to the point of support of the weight) through which the weight passes when the pull of the web on the roller increases to a certain degree.

9. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in theweb and operable to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to variations in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, means for dampening the movement of said roller, and a weight movable with said roller and adapted to augment the action of the roller against the web when on one side of a vertical center line (with respect to the point of support of the weight) through which the weight passes when the pull of the web on the roller increases to a certain degree, the weight, when on the other side of said line, serving as a counter-weight to counter-balance said roller.

10. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web and operable to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the. printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to variations in the tautness of the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, means for dampening the movement of said roller, a weight movable with said roller and adapted to augment the action of the roller against the web when on one side of a vertical center line (with respect to the point of support of the weight) through which the weight passes when the pull of the web on the roller increases to a certain degree, and a spring positioned to counteract the pull of the web against the roller as the latter approaches the limit of its movement in the direction in which it is urged by the web.

11. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web and operable to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of contact with the printing cylinders, said roller being free from connection with tension mechanism for retarding rotation of the roll and being quickly responsive to variations in the tautness of, the web irrespective of irregularities in the form of the roll, a weight movable with said roller and adapted to augment the action of the roller against the web when on one side of a vertical center line (with respect to the point of support of the weight) through which the weight passes when the pull of the web on the roller increases to a certain degree, and a spring positioned to counteract the pull of the web against the roller as he latter approaches the limit of itsmovement in the direction in which it is urged by the web.

12. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising amovably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web and operable to takeup slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web; thereby eliminating Vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, a shaft having arms extending therefrom for supporting said roller, a

' weight mounted on said shaft and disposed at substantially right angles to said arms, said weight serving to augment the weight of the roller when the latter is moved by the pull of the web, and means connected with said' arms for dampening the movement of said roller.

13. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web and operable to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain'uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, a shaft having arms extending therefrom for supporting saidroller,

said line and serving to augment the roller when on the other side of said line.

14. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web and operable to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same withthe printing cylinders, a shaft having arms extending therefrom for supporting said roller, a weight carried by said shaft for governing the movement of the roller, and means for adjusting one end of said shaft to cause said roller to maintain a constant relation to the web even thoughone end of the web roll should be of different diameter from the other, causing the web to unwind unevenly from the roll.

15. A web controlling device for printing presses, comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web and operable to take up slack in said web between the web roll and the press and to maintain uniform tautness of the web, thereby eliminating vibration thereof at the point of initial contact of the same with the printing cylinders, a shaft having arms extending therefrom for supporting said roller, a weight mounted on said shaft at substantially right angles to said roll supporting arms, one

of said arms extending beyond said shaft on the side thereof opposite said roller, and a dashpot connected with said extended portion of said arm.

16. A web controlling device for printing presses,v comprising a movably mounted roller positioned in a loop in the web feeding into the press and operable to take up slack in said web and to maintain uniform tautness of the web between the web roll and the press, and a weight movable with said roller and adapted to augment the action of the roller against the web when one side of a vertical line (with respect to the point of support of the weight) through which the weight passes when the pull of the web on the roller increases to a certain degree.

ALLAN J. CLINE. 

